


Asylum

by JackalGoddess



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mental Institution, Blurryface Era, Depression, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Multiple Personalities, Paranoia, Rated For Violence, Schizophrenia, Trench Era, i'll add tags as i go, this story has a mix of both tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 10:22:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16366079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackalGoddess/pseuds/JackalGoddess
Summary: Josh desperately needs a job.  When the insane asylum just outside of town puts out a call for work, he immediately fills out an application. And who wouldn't for $25 an hour? What he didn't expect was the uniqueness of the patients housed at Trench Asylum.He didn't expect to meet a scrawny boy with the softest brown eyes and the gentlest features he'd ever seen.





	Asylum

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first work I've ever posted on AO3, simply because their publishing system is very intimidating. I've posted things elsewhere, just not here, RIP. Anyway, I'm very excited to share this story with y'all! Feedback and comments are always appreciated. :)

When the insane asylum 30 miles up the road from where Josh lived put out a limited job offering, he was quick to fill out an application. He wouldn't say that it was exactly the type of job he imagined himself in, but there wasn't much work he wouldn't do for a base pay of $25 an hour. 

Was he scared? Of course he was. There was rarely any job openings at the asylum, so for them to put out such an urgent call for work was a little bit unsettling to say the least. Josh tried not to think too hard about it and what all it implied.

It was a lazy Sunday morning when he received a call from a blocked number. He had just rolled out of bed and was getting prepared to start cleaning his tiny apartment. He made his way over to his coffee table and reached down to pick up his cell phone.

"Hello?" Josh answered, trying to keep the tiredness out of his voice. Who would be calling him this early in the morning, on a Sunday no less?

"Mr. Dun," a woman's voice said. "Trench Asylum has received your application and found it satisfactory. You've been scheduled to start tomorrow. Dress normally, we'll provide you with your uniform. We anticipate your arrival." And with that, the call was over.

Josh was left standing there, fully awake now. He'd filled out that application almost two weeks ago, and he'd almost forgotten about it. He ran his fingers through his red hair, pulling at it slightly. He hadn't expected to actually get accepted, but now here he was, set to work tomorrow. Oh, god, tomorrow. Josh knew that his sleep was going to be restless tonight. 

X-X-X-X

Groaning, Josh woke up to his alarm blaring in his ear. What time was it, anyway? He couldn't see any light outside. He didn't hesitate to smash the snooze button, curling back up in his covers to try and escape the cold.

'If I don't get some cash soon, I won't be able to pay for this measly heating...' Josh thought to himself.

Suddenly, he jolted upright, completely awake. Monday. Today was Monday. He had a job he had to get to. Throwing the covers off of his legs, Josh rushed to his closet, picking out a simple outfit and throwing it on. He made sure his hair was in order and that he looked presentable before grabbing a Pop-Tart package for breakfast on his way out the door to his car. He couldn't afford to be late, not on his first day and especially not with this job.

The weather outside wasn't horrible, but the sky remained overcast even as the sun started to make it's way above the horizon. Josh hoped it wasn't some sort of symbolism for how his day was going to go.

Trench Asylum was miles outside of town. Enough so so that there wouldn't be any disturbances to the residents. Nobody actually knew much about the place, only that it wasn't like other insane asylums. The patients there were "special", or so the rumors say. Josh was always skeptical when he heard talk of the asylum. How special could the patients really be? The way Josh saw it, the town residents just didn't have enough interesting things going on in their lives, so they turned to rumors and speculations to pass the time. And who could really blame them? The town was small and quaint. People carried out their day to day lives, following the same routine day after day. The only "exciting" thing to happen was the gathering of the knitting club every Friday evening, if you could really call that exciting.

Josh sighed to himself, watching the town turn into woods as he continued his drive. The further he got out of town, the more nervous he got. It felt like there was a swarm of angry bees in his stomach. Why did he apply for this job, anyway? Was the $25 an hour really worth it?

Shaking his head, Josh tried to clear all of the negative and anxious thoughts out of his head as he rounded the corner, the asylum coming into view.

'It's okay, it'll be okay, just relax,' he kept telling himself. 'Stay positive, stay positive.'

The building wasn't how he remembered it, not that he made a point of driving past it. Really, he could only recall seeing it twice in his lifetime, and that was when he was a kid. It was an old brick building on top of a wooded hill, overlooking the small river that ran through the valley. The asylum was quite tall and surprisingly large for where it was located. Almost all of the windows were tinted so that you couldn't see in, covered by metal bars. Josh shuddered a little bit, despite himself. The entire building was surrounded by an old looking iron fence, with an inner chain link fence topped with barbed wire. Comforting. And, to top it all off, there was a massive arching front door that seemed to be mechanized with two guards posted outside.

As Josh pulled up to the main gate, he wondered how he was supposed to get in. They didn't exactly tell him that part in the brief phone call he received. He didn't have to wonder long, however. As soon as his car was rolling to a stop in front of the gates, they began to creak open. It was very unsettling, to say the least. Regardless, Josh drove forward slowly, parking his car in the small lot with the other employee's cars. He was early, but if he hesitated much longer, he would be late. Taking a deep breath, Josh pocketed his keys and stepped out of his car, making his way up to the two guards at the front door.

'Stay positive, stay positive...'

"You must be Joshua Dun," the guard on the left says abruptly.

"Yeah, call me Josh," he replies, mentally berating himself for his casual tone. 'These people aren't here to make friends, they're here to do their job. Get it together.'

"Right this way. The East wing director will show you around," the guard on the right answered as the doors began to creep open, seemingly of their own will.

Josh gasped softly as he entered the asylum, eyes going up to the ceiling. The place really was huge. It looked a lot newer on the inside than it did on the outside, although the building still had a touch of old on the interior as well. The facility was very clean, almost like a hospital.

"Mr. Dun," a brunette woman said with a smile, breaking Josh out of his trance. "I'm Sarah, the East wing director. I'll be in charge of your training." She held out her hand, and Josh took it for a firm handshake. "Did they tell you what you would be doing here at Trench?"

Josh shook his head. "No, I just received a call saying that I was hired, and that I was to start today."

"Figures," Sarah replied with a small snort. "In any case, follow me. I'll show you around the place and teach you everything you'll need to know while working here." She waved a hand, gesturing for Josh to follow her. "We're currently in the South wing. This is where all of the employee quarters are. While you're not required to live here, it makes life 100 times easier, so most people choose to. You'll get weekends off, so you wouldn't be expected to stay here during those days. We have people to cover those shifts."

"Did you decide to move in here?" Josh asked.

Sarah looked over her shoulder, fixing him with an almost mischievous smile. "Yep. I usually stay here during weekends, too. I like to keep things in order. It's not really that big of a deal. Bathrooms are to your left," she said, gesturing in that general direction. "Up ahead is the center of the building. We use it for the patient cafeteria, at least for the ones we can get out of their rooms to eat. Some don't like to come out. Others we don't allow out."

"What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"It means, Mr. Dun, that some patients can't be trusted to safely interact and socialize with other patients. It could cause... conflicts, and our goal is to minimize that."

Josh wondered what these "conflicts" really were. The way Sarah made it sound, she wasn't just talking about a couple fist fights here and there.

"Josh. You can call me Josh," he finally said. He didn't particularly like the professionalism of 'Mr. Dun'. It would wear on him after a while.

"Alright, Josh," Sarah said with a look over her shoulder again. "Follow me. We're headed to the West wing." They walked through the cafeteria, which was empty for the most part, save for a few employees cleaning the area. Both the floors and tables were a bright white, which were then made brighter from the sunlight shining through the second story skylights.

'Man, this place is actually really big...' Josh thought to himself absently.

"Here we are," Sarah said, stopping in front of the West wing hallway. "This is the West wing. Here is where the patients prone to sickness live. Physically handicapped and patients that might need a little extra help live here as well."

Josh looked down the hallway, watching nurses and employees move about. It looked calm, for the most part. There wasn't any chaos like one might expect in an asylum.

"You shouldn't have to come to this wing, unless instructed otherwise. The employees that work here have special training, so we wouldn't want to force you into a situation like that." She paused for a second, hugging her clipboard close to her chest. "We actually had to shuffle some people around after the... incident... so employees from the East wing were the first to get moved. My assistant, Jenna, actually just got moved." She turned to Josh. "That's where you come in. I'm not asking you to be my assistant, but you have an important hole to fill. Many of the East wing patients were really attached to her."

"No pressure," Josh said lightheartedly under his breath. Sarah just laughed.

"C'mon, on to the next area," she said, leading him away with a smile.

Crossing back through the edge of the cafeteria, they then stopped in front of another hallway.

"This is the North wing," Sarah said, holding her arm out in a mocking sweep. "This is where the most dangerous patients reside. They're physically stronger than the average person, on top of... other abilities. Many of them are also more aggressive, and therefore like to pick fights with each other. Under no circumstance should you go into this wing."

Josh looked past her and down the hallway, noticing guards with guns mixed in with regular looking employees. "What do you mean 'other abilities'...?" he asked hesitantly.

Sarah turned to face him fully, tilting her head to the side slightly. "I assume you've heard the rumors floating around town, yes?"

Josh nodded mutely, an uneasiness growing in his stomach. He'd heard the rumors, that the patients were special, that they were kept away from civilization for unknown reasons. Surely there wasn't any validity in those rumors, right?

"Yes, well. They're not entirely accurate, but they're not entirely false, either." She pauses, shifting her weight from one foot to another as she contemplates what to say next. "Here at Trench Asylum, we house very special patients. There's a reason that these people can't be in normal mental institutions. These individuals have... gifts, so to speak. Things of which you've never seen the likes of, only in movies in books. Some have more physical abilities, such as minor shape-shifting, or increased strength. Others have abilities that are more mental, such as telekinesis. Each ability is usually tied to the mental illness they possess. There's quite a wide range, really. You'll learn as you go." She pauses again, focusing her entire attention on Josh. "Sorry, that was quite a lot. I hope I didn't overwhelm you."

Josh took a small step back to steady himself. He was not prepared for that at all. "You're being serious...?"

"It's not as crazy as it sounds, I promise. You'll get used to it," Sarah said with a small smile and a soft laugh. "There was a reason you had to sign all of that confidentiality paperwork, after all." She turned back around, making her way to the final wing. "And last but certainly not least, the East wing. This is where you'll be working. This is also where the most 'normal' patients reside. They all still have a fairly long medical list, but it's the easiest wing to work in, by far." She turned away, walking a few feet to a small supply closet, and pulled out two pairs of yellow scrubs. "Here are your work clothes, as promised. East wing is yellow. North is red, and West is blue. If you should ever need more, don't hesitate to pick up an extra set. Do you have any questions so far?" She asked, clasping her hands together.

Josh looked down at the clothes in his arms. This was all so much more than he was prepared for. "...You're going to show me what my job is in this wing, right?" He asked hesitantly.

Sarah laughed. "Of course. That's what I'm here for. Right this way." She walked a little ways into the hallway, stopping at the first couple of rooms. "In this wing, there is only one patient per room. Each room is marked with the patient's number. As you can see, there's also a clipboard outside each room," she said, gesturing towards said clipboards. "There, you can find a list of all conditions, ailments, and abilities of the patient inside the designated room. Medications will be listed, and special instructions, if applicable. We want to make this job as easy as possible."

Josh stepped towards a room marked #0274, looking at the clipboard.

Patient #: 0274  
Name: Donovan N. Emerson  
Sex: Male  
Date of Birth: February 14, 1985  
Weight: 187.5 lbs.  
Mental Illnesses: Paranoid Personality Disorder [PPD], Mild Schizophrenia, PTSD  
Physical Conditions: Severe burn scars around hands and arms  
Abilities: Possesses ability to summon fire  
Medication(s): Chlorpromazine [anti-psychotic], DEMA-840  
Additional Information: Sleeps most hours of the day. Do not approach when #0274 is having a panic attack. Rarely aggressive, only lashes out when threatened.

'Fire. She really wasn't kidding about all of this ability stuff.'

Josh looked up from the chart, fixing Sarah with an inquisitive look. "What is DEMA-840? I've never heard of that before."

"Oh, that's a medication made here at the asylum. The Dema Council upstairs makes all sorts of different medications to try and help with the very unique conditions our patients have."

"The Dema Council...?"

"They're the ones in charge of everything that goes on here at Trench Asylum. There's nine of them, I believe. Nicolas Bourbaki is the head of the council, but everyone here just calls him Nico."

"What the hell..." Josh muttered under his breath, pulling at his red hair nervously.

Sarah just offered him a small smile, beckoning for him to follow her further down the hallway.

"You'll mostly be working down here. I'll judge your capabilities the more you work here so as not to overwork you. Many of the patients-"

Sarah was still talking, but Josh was distracted. He could've sworn he just heard singing and- was that a piano?

"-sometimes twice a day, and-"

"I'm sorry, do you hear that?" Josh interrupted, looking around.

"Hear what?"

"Is someone singing and playing a piano?"

"Oh! Yes, that would be would be Tyler."

"Who...?"

Sarah just pointed to the room at the very end of the hallway. Josh walked over, taking the clipboard off the wall. The music was louder here.

Patient #: 0021  
Name: Tyler R. Joseph  
Sex: Male  
Date of Birth: December 01, 1988  
Weight: 125 lbs.  
Mental Illnesses: Dissociative Identity Disorder, Depression, Paranoia, Chronic Migraines  
Physical Conditions: Underweight  
Abilities: When alter ego is present [characterized by red eyes and vocal change], #0021 displays a great increase in strength.  
Medication(s): Antidepressants, Sertraline, DEMA-181, DEMA-999, [REDACTED], DEMA-072  
Additional Information: Rarely talks. Rarely eats. Alter ego only shows up when #0021 is in high stress situations. Musically inclined.

The piano chords continued, but began to slow down. A soft voice began to drift out of the room. 

"Now the night is coming to an end,  
The sun will rise and we will try again.

Stay alive, stay alive, for me.  
You will die, but now your life is free,  
Take pride in what is sure to die.

I will fear the night again,  
I hope I'm not my only friend.

Stay alive, stay alive, for me.  
You will die, but now your life is free,  
Take pride in what is sure to die."

Josh was speechless. He turned around to Sarah, clipboard clutched tightly in his right hand, scrubs in the other. He had so many questions.

"I thought he didn't talk much? Why does he have to take so many medications, and what does this chart mean by 'alter ego'? How does he have a piano?" Josh felt like his thoughts were going a mile a minute. The day wasn't even halfway over and he was already so overwhelmed.

"Whoa, slow down," Sarah replied with a soft chuckle. "Normally, I wouldn't answer all of your questions, but since you're going to be taking care of Tyler, I'll indulge your curiosities."

Taking care of Tyler...?

"To answer your first question, yes, he doesn't talk much. The only person he would ever truly talk to was Jenna, and as I mentioned earlier, she's been moved to the West wing. Tyler took it really hard. You're going to have a lot of work to do. As far as medications go, Tyler has a lot that he's supposed to take, but he usually refuses. We could force the issue, but we don't. He says that they cause him immense, immobilizing pain." Sarah ran her fingers through her hair, pausing to consider the answers to Josh's next questions. "Tyler's alter ego is a side-effect of his Dissociative Identity Disorder. He has a name, actually. Blurry, or Blurryface. I've never seen him myself. Tyler just sings about him, sometimes. And finally, about his piano. Tyler has been here for a few years. He's one of the kindest patients we have. Jenna was really fond of him, so last Christmas she proposed that the East wing workers all pitch in some cash to buy him an electronic keyboard. You should've seen his face, he was ecstatic. He was always expressing himself through the songs he writes, so that keyboard was the icing on the cake for him."

"That's... a lot of information." Josh hung the chart back up on the wall, giving it one more once-over.

"Well, you're the one who asked. You should introduce yourself to him," she said, small smirk on her lips.

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." The beautiful piano melody continued to drift out of Tyler's room.

Sarah looked at him, almost as if she was sizing him up. "I've decided," she says with a nod. "You'll be assigned to Tyler. If the rest of this week goes poorly, I'll reassign you. Your quarter number is #0990 in the South wing. You can choose to move in if you so wish. There will be a schedule for you to follow in your room by tomorrow morning. That's all I have for you today, you can have the rest of the day to yourself. I'll escort you to the South wing."

Josh clutched the yellow scrubs in his hands tightly. "...okay, thank you," he said with a miniscule nod.

As they began to exit the East wing, Josh was startled by a loud thump on a door to his left.

"What was that?"

"Hm?" Sarah turned to see what room Josh was referring to. "Oh, that would be Brendon. He's probably messing around, either that or 'The Emperor' has come out to play. Y'know, he likes to sing, too. He has the sweetest voice..." she trailed off, fond smile on her lips. She let out an almost lovestruck sigh before she seemed to realize what she was doing. She cleared her throat awkwardly, a light dusting of a blush present on her cheekbones. "Ahem, anyway, right this way," she said, briskly walking away from Brendon's room.

Josh smiled, despite himself. It was sweet, really. Perhaps a bit strange, but sweet nonetheless.

"Thank you, really, for everything," Josh said as they reached the South wing. "This is all overwhelming, but you've helped me through it."

"It's no trouble at all, Josh. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, waving as Josh walked to the exit.

**Author's Note:**

> There's probably formatting issues, of which I'll fix later... I need to add italics and all that...
> 
> Fun fact: the asylum was actually going to be named Riverview Asylum. I had decided to take a nap after I finished this chapter, and I woke up in a cold sweat with the idea to change it to Trench Asylum. :P


End file.
